Nigerians are having a national dialogue about public service compensation and education thanks to Peter Gregory Obi, the former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Peter Obi has drawn attention to what he perceives as a significant imbalance in Nigeria’s public service remuneration structure. The former governor took to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday to voice his concerns, following a statement by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) about Nigeria’s need for more PhD holders to tackle challenges in university education.
Obi’s response to the NUC’s statement was both pointed and provocative. He highlighted the disparity between the educational requirements and compensation for legislators compared to those with advanced degrees:
“Our legislators, whose required educational qualification is merely a secondary school certificate, receive a monthly salary of ₦21 million, which is more than 10 years salary of a PhD holder,” Obi stated. “This disparity is the root of the problem.”
The Labour Party leader went on to emphasize the stark contrast between the time and effort required to earn a PhD and the comparatively lower financial rewards:
“It takes a minimum of 10 years of dedicated study after secondary school to earn a PhD,” Obi pointed out, implying that the current remuneration structure fails to adequately value this level of educational achievement.
Further illustrating his point, Obi added, “Additionally, legislators are provided with SUVs worth ₦160 million from the public purse.”CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
